The Freedive Cafe Podcast: Alessia Zecchini, Italian Supergirl

This article originally appeared on The Freedive Café, a podcast dedicated purely to freediving where top freedivers discuss techniques, experiences, notes on conservation, and their love of freediving. Support and subscribe to the podcast to hear each new episode first.

Alessia Zecchiniis from Rome and is based there when she isn’t traveling around the world. She’s only 25 years old and started freediving when she was just 13 years old!

In her first Italian Championships at age 18 she won two silver medals. Since then, she’s won too many gold, silvers and bronzes across several disciplines to list.

She is the current AIDA world record holder in CWT with an astonishing 104m and CMAS world record holder in DYN with 250m.

In this episode of The Freedive Cafe we discuss

Alessia finds her way to freediving through an early start as a competitive swimmer.

She also has a background in finswimming.

Freediving comes easily to Alessia.

Alessia’s favourite discipline is FIM.

What’s a typical week of training like for Alessia?

Rollerblading is one of Alessia’s favourite things to do.

Her world record-breaking dive at Vertical Blue in 2016.

Does Alessia push too hard sometimes?

Alessia’s nutrition and a lesson learned.

Her new coach Martin Zajac.

The possibility of freediving going to the Olympics.

Where Alessia trains depth and her favourite dive sites.

Freediving does not have a spiritual dimension for Alessia.

Alessia likes to visit the sea in her free time.

The joys of Rome.

Alessia can’t remember the names of movies she likes.

Alessia’s recommended book is… I don’t know! Can the Italian listeners out there pin that down, haha!?